Montgomery Township proposes hiring 19 career firefighters to reverse rising response times

Chief Bill Wegman said Montgomery Township is considering a move from a combination volunteer/career fire department to a fully staffed, 24/7 career model to address lengthening emergency response times and declining volunteer availability.

"Time, time is our biggest enemy," Wegman said, describing how modern building construction and petroleum‑based home contents speed fires toward flashover. He cited national guidance from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)—which recommends enough trained personnel to safely manage structure fires—and local response data showing a widening gap between career and volunteer response times. Wegman said township career staff average about "4 minutes and 25 seconds" from dispatch to arrival during daytime hours in 2025, while volunteer apparatus averaged "9 minutes and 49 seconds" so far in 2025 across roughly 1,600 incidents.

Wegman proposed hiring 19 additional career personnel organized into four platoons (a battalion chief, a captain and four firefighters per platoon), plus a fifth staffer assigned to a fire‑marshals vehicle. The plan calls for 24‑hour shifts on a 24‑on/72‑off schedule, with cohort hiring intended to build "crew integrity" and reduce the safety risks Wegman associates with ad‑hoc crews unfamiliar with one another.

"If our firefighters are safe, then our residents are safe," Wegman said, arguing that staffed stations shorten response intervals and improve on‑scene coordination. He pointed to a volunteer night stipend program that averages a 7‑minute on‑scene time as evidence that stationed personnel reduce delays.

Township Manager Carolyn McCreery, the podcast host, discussed the fiscal implications presented to the Board of Supervisors. She said the township is considering a real estate tax increase of about 1.4 mills to fund the staffing expansion; using an example from the Canterbury neighborhood, a homeowner currently paying about $500 a year in township taxes could see that township portion rise to about $735 under the preliminary calculation, which McCreery described as "less than $20 a month" when annualized. McCreery acknowledged concerns about residents on fixed incomes and said the township would explore homestead exemptions and other relief options.

Wegman described the recruitment and training burdens shaping the recommendation: entry‑level firefighter instruction is roughly 200 hours spread across months of classes and practical testing, followed by ongoing certifications (Firefighter I/II, vehicle rescue technician and similar qualifications). He and McCreery said younger recruits often cannot afford to live in Montgomery Township, limiting the volunteer pipeline, while an aging core of volunteers (Wegman said the average age for active, local firefighters with Firefighter I is 54) increases attrition and operational risk.

Neither Wegman nor McCreery announced a final board decision on the hiring plan during the podcast. They outlined next steps for public engagement: additional briefings, homeowner association outreach, town halls and a dedicated webpage with FAQs so residents can review the department's data and ask questions.

Wegman warned that relying on mutual aid for first response is not a sustainable substitute for local, timely capability: "We need to be able to provide for our township," he said. The township's Board of Supervisors will consider the staffing proposal and funding options in upcoming public meetings and outreach events.